Horse Slaughter Ban Signed Into Law

Statement

Congressman Vern Buchanan announced today a proposal to ban the slaughter of horses in America for consumption overseas has been signed into law thanks to a bipartisan effort by animal welfare advocates in Congress.

An existing temporary ban, which was set to expire Friday, was extended in the just-passed government funding bill signed by President Trump.

"The slaughter of horses for human consumption is a barbaric practice that must end," Buchanan said.

Buchanan proposed an amendment last year to block funding for horse slaughter facilities in the U.S. Although the House Rules Committee failed to allow the amendment to be brought to the floor for a vote, congressional leaders subsequently inserted identical language on page 129 of the final funding bill that was signed into law last week by President Trump.

Buchanan credited bipartisan members of the House and Senate, as well as animal welfare groups, for working to include the ban in the final funding bill. "This was a successful team effort," Buchanan said, adding, "I hope we can build on this success and pass my legislation to permanently end the practice."

Buchanan is the chief sponsor of the SAFE Act, legislation to make the ban on horse slaughter permanent and prohibit the export of live horses to Mexican and Canadian slaughterhouses. The bill has been endorsed by the Humane Society of the United States, the Animal Welfare Institute, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and has gained more than 200 bipartisan co-sponsors in Congress.

As part of the effort to get the horse slaughter ban across the finish line in the omnibus, Buchanan led a letter to key congressional leaders, signed by 20 of his colleagues, requesting that language protecting horses from slaughter be inserted in the final spending agreement between the House and the Senate.

"Our American values support the protection of these animals; our federal policies should continue to reflect that," the group wrote in a letter to the Speaker of the House and chairman of the House Appropriations Committee.

Although the slaughter of horses for human consumption is currently not allowed in the United States, the prohibition is temporary and subject to annual congressional review. A national poll conducted on behalf of the ASPCA found that 80 percent of Americans favor a ban on horse slaughter and want to protect these animals from abuse.

Buchanan is the co-chair of the Animal Protection Caucus, a bipartisan group of more than 100 members of Congress dedicated to preventing animal cruelty, protecting endangered species and advancing animal welfare policies.

The congressman's strong record of defending animals includes opposing weaker protections for the Florida manatee and panther, as well as urging the Trump administration to maintain bans on importing "trophies" from the endangered African lion and elephant. He was the first Congressman from Florida ever to receive the Humane Society's top honor, Legislator of the Year.

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